


Books

by Aceteroid



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 06:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13161549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceteroid/pseuds/Aceteroid
Summary: Even picks up a pre-ordered book for his mother and falls for the employee at the store.





	Books

**Author's Note:**

> After 6 months I just wanted to say that I'm still alive, yay.  
> I had to deal with a huge writers-block (that is still not completely over, but hey, I managed to write this!!!!). 
> 
> I will really try to write more frequently now.  
> Lots of love to all of you. <3 
> 
> *this work is un-beta'd at the moment, but will be updated within the next couple of hours.

When Even was seven years old his grandfather died on Christmas Eve.  
It was unexpected, no disease that had slowly creeped its way into their lives, but a sudden cut. Like a plaster being ripped off, but without someone counting to three. Gone out of all sudden. There had been no early warning, no indication. Just a heart attack and Even and his mother that had meant to pick him up for the Christmas-dinner they spent together every year.  
There had been a lot of phone calls and a lot of lights when the ambulance had arrived, a lot of tears.  
Death had taken his grandfather on Christmas Eve and the pain had lasted longer than ripping off a plaster.

Even had felt a dull ache in his chest whenever Christmas-time came around ever since that day thirteen years ago, even though he hadn’t really understood the concept of death back then.  
  
His head was resting against the windowpane and he mindlessly looked outside, watching the same old houses passing by while he half-heartedly listened to an old woman talking to her miniature Schnauzer. Penny, the dog was called and apparently Penny was ‘a good little girl, a perfect little girl’, at least the lady kept repeating this over and over as she lovingly petted the dog’s head, carefully paying attention to not disturb the yellow bows she had placed on both of its ears.  
  
It was the 17th of December and it had been raining the last few days, the powdery layers of snow from the previous weeks had turned into grey slush on the equally grey asphalt.  
His shoes were almost completely soaked and Even only pulled his scarf up higher, halfway hiding behind the burgundy fabric, not really wanting to get off the tram.  
But he had promised his mother to pick up a book-order from her favourite bookstore when she had asked him to during dinner.  
  
The somewhat robotic-sounding voice of the announcer called out his station and Even got up, feeling tired after sitting for so long, the last bits of sun already gone for the day.  
When he stepped out into the cold he adjusted his beanie, pulling it down to cover more of his ears as he started walking down the street. Or at least he tried to.  
  
To find a way through the crowd proved to be more difficult than expected, locals and tourists on the pavement, businessmen and workers, couples, mothers and fathers holding their children’s hands and pulling them along. Maybe looking for presents most people only bought because the holidays were closely linked to the expectations of it, maybe on the way home, maybe there just in order to be there.

He didn’t plan on spending his entire evening in the city so when finally reached the shop, the bell above the door giving a bright ring as he entered, he let out a sigh, pulling his hat off and shoving it into one of the pockets of his jacket.

“Excuse me,” Even said as he approached a woman who was standing in front of a large shelf, organizing books. She turned around and pushed her the small glasses up on her nose.  
“Ah, hello, how may I help you?” she asked and in return he pulled out his phone.  
“My mother ordered a book online. She was told that she could fetch it by today. It’s called…,” he started but before he could even name the title, the woman pointed to the stairs at the far end of the room.  
“First floor on the right. That’s where you can pick up your orders, dear.”  
She gave him a kind smile and he nodded, returning it: “Thank you.”  
  
The upstairs area was a bit smaller than the main floor or maybe it was the many displays full of colourful calendars standing just about everywhere that made it seem more cramped.

Even cautiously walked through the aisles, trying not to knock anything down as he looked at the various different drawings – houses and people and well-known artworks –  as well as photographs of nature, of families, of animals. He never really was a calendar-kind-of-guy since planning things had not worked out for him most of the time, coincidence or destiny did whatever it wanted, but he liked looking at them.

And as he did so, studying the colours and shadings, he didn’t notice the employee walking up towards him.

“Hei. Are you looking for anything in particular or…?”  
The voice startled him and he couldn’t help but jump at him the sudden disruption of the calm silence that had surrounded him just a second ago.

He looked up at the employee just to blink at him.

In front of him stood a blond boy with messy curls and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Almost as if one was standing in the midst of a deep forest, fresh leaves and dark moss.  
He was just a few centimetres smaller than him, something Even immediately took notice of as most people barely reached his chin. The boy didn’t even have to look up much. However, he seemed to constantly bow his head, just a little bit, rather facing the floor than looking into people’s eyes.  
He wondered why.

What he could tell, though, was when the boy started to frown.  
He licked his lips as if in a nervous manner, pulled at the sleeves of his read christmassy jumper and that was when Even noticed that he was still staring at him.

“Uh yeah”, he eventually brought out and then cleared his throat before he continued: “I was told to come up here to pick up a book? My mom has ordered it a few days ago and yesterday she received an e-mail that said she could come and get it?” For some reason the sentences turned out like questions, even though he didn’t mean them to.

The boy nodded, looking almost relieved to know what he had to do, what steps followed next. “Sure, please, follow me.”  
So Even did.  
  
They reached a counter with the word “collection” engraved into it, the boy rounding it and then looking at him.  
“What was the name?” he asked as he typed something into a computer.  
“Oh, I’m Even”, he replied.  
There was a short silence between them and then the boy looked up from the screen, starting to grin slightly. He had dimples. Fuck.  
“Okay. I actually need your mother’s name, though. She was the one who ordered it, right?” The hint of an amused tone definitely was worth making a fool out of himself.  
“Oh, yes, sure. That makes sense. Elise. Bech-Næsheim”, he quickly corrected while rubbing his neck in embarrassment.  
  
He nodded again, continued typing something and Even simply watched him as he did so. He watched his long fingers dancing over the keyboard, he watched the way his brows furrowed in concentration, watched how his throat worked when he swallowed.  
How could one boy be so pretty?

He hadn’t thought about anyone like that in quite a long time. After ending things with Sonja over a year ago (of course it happened during Christmas time, the bad things always did) he had distanced himself from any sort of dating. After hurting her, after pushing her away it hadn’t felt right to continue like nothing happened.  
_I just need some space_ , he had thought.  
And every time anyone had shown interest in him, he had backed away.  
Because _not again, I can’t keep them close and cause them pain again_ , he had thought.

Now he stood in front of this boy and it felt different, he didn’t feel like running, he didn’t feel like he needed space.

“New York Christmas Baking?” the boy suddenly asked and it took him a moment to return to reality, to leave his thoughts behind.  
“Sounds like my mom”, Even agreed with the smallest smile and the boy let out a laugh. “My roommate loves baking too. I think we’re at 16 different kinds of biscuits now. Not that I mind. As long as I don’t have to bake myself…” The boy shrugged and turned around to look through a pile of packaged books.  
“You’re not a Christmas person?” Even asked, just to keep the boy talking (because for some reason he didn’t seem that shy anymore, and he had a really nice voice).  
“Not really. But most mostly I’m a horrible baker.” He could hear the amusement again, but he couldn’t see the smirk since he was still looking for the book.  
“The secret is to use a whole lot of cardamom, it can’t turn out bad that way.” He didn’t add that it didn’t change a lot about him disliking Christmas, though.  
“Cardamom, really?” the boy asked and then returned with the book in his hands. Even almost wished he hadn’t found it.  
“Really”, he agreed, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards into a slightly crooked grin.  
  
The boy scanned the book’s ISBN number and finally placed it onto the counter. “Cardamom. I’ll keep that in mind. That’s 200kroner please.”  
Even might took a little longer than necessary to find the bill in the pocket of his jeans and he might handed it over a certain way, just to let his own fingertips brush against the ones of the boy (who !!blushed!! in return).

It was one week until Christmas and for a quick moment he didn’t feel as bleak as he usually did around this time of the year.  
  
“Thanks for your help”, he eventually said, licking his lips as he tried to find something else to say, just something to give him a reason or two to stay a second longer. He failed when the boy’s reply came first: “Of course. My pleasure. Have a nice day, Even”  
The smile was smaller now as the boy awkwardly waved good-bye. Even’s heart might have melted then and there as he took the first few steps towards the stairs – just to stop in his tracks then.  
“The name. What was yours?” he asked him.  
  
“Isak.”

Even came back three days later with the excuse of having to buy a book on camera angles and perspectives for his lecture. He normally tried to find second-hand versions sold by students of higher semesters, but the topic was interesting and he had worked hard, had put a lot of effort into his studies. He didn’t mind making an exception for once.    
Also he really wanted to see Isak again.

So when he the bell above the door rang brightly and he stepped inside, a faint smell of old books and peppermint in the air, he couldn’t help but look around, trying to spot the blond curls once again.  
“God kveld, picking up something for your mother again?” the woman with the small glasses asked him with a gentle smile on her thin lips.  
In answer to her question he shook his head slightly, pushing his hands that still felt sort of numb from the cold deeper into the pockets of his green jacket. “No, I’m just… uh… looking around”, Even brought out hesitantly, not wanting to tell her what (or rather who) he was really looking for.  
“Alright, let me know if you need anything”, she responded before returning to the checkout, leaving him standing a few metres away from the door from where he scanned the room carefully before he eventually headed towards the stairs.  
He wasn’t sure what exactly to tell Isak if he really was up there since the book section on cinematography was located in the basement, but he figured – or at least hoped – he would come up with something, anything.

He strolled around the tables and shelves, looking at books and comics and mugs and calendars while discreetly checking out the area for the boy.

And he really tried to ignore the sting of disappointment when he couldn’t find him anywhere, kept reminding himself that he was here to buy the book he needed, that meeting Isak again was just an optional side-quest, that it wasn’t _that_ important anyway since he didn’t know anything about him.

With his head ducked, he descended the stairs, all the way downstairs where he half-heartedly grabbed the book, not even bothering to flip through the pages like he usually did. Instead he simply carried it to the checkout, ignoring the look the woman from earlier gave him.

He was rummaging through the coins in his wallet when the bell above the door rang and he heard his voice.  
“Halla Mimmi”, Isak said and Even watched him as he took off his Snapback, running his hand through his hair, leaving his curls in an unruly mess. “Isak, you’re early”, the cashier – apparently called Mimmi – responded in a playful tone. “There’s a first time for everything”, he gave back, his voice as light as hers and the dimples back on his cheeks.  
He then turned to walk away, but as soon as his eyes landed on Even he stopped in his tracks like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hei”, Even eventually brought out, raising his hand in a little wave that made Isak’s shoulder relax. “Hei”, he answered and he licked his lips, giving Mimmi a quick look and Even mirrored him, just to see her raise her brows at the two of them.  
“Oh right, Isak, I totally forgot that I have to help Agát with the encyclopaedias. Could you maybe cash up for me?” She asked and Even thanked every possible god he could think of for her apparently understanding a situation even himself didn’t understand.  
Isak automatically nodded, quickly moving towards the counter. “Yeah. Yeah sure. I can do that.”

He still held his wallet in his hands, the book already scanned, when Mimmi and Isak swapped places. “Alright, let me know if you need anything”, she added before disappearing behind some shelves, leaving the boys alone.

“So, that’s… That’s 199kroner, please”, Isak brought out after checking the computer screen, looking at him with the slightest blush on his cheeks.  
The sight alone seemed to warm Even’s chest and he somehow felt stupid for thinking all those things with knowing only his name and that he worked at the store and that he had the most adorable mole above his upper lip Even had ever seen in his life.  
“Of course, let me just,” Even started and then continued to look through his coins nervously, his hands shaking just the slightest bit. For a split second, he tried to convince himself it was because of the cold, but he gave up quickly. There was something about this boy.  
Eventually he just poured the coins all on the counter, sorting his change, just to realize that he was missing ten _øre._  

“Can I perhaps pay by card?” he asked, looking up at Isak, the money still spread out in between them.  
“Uh, fuck, normally yes, but the card-reader unit broke yesterday evening and the technician won’t be here until tomorrow morning. I can put the book back for you, though. If you want me to.” His words came out a little bit too fast and Even found it a little bit too endearing.  
So he gave him a smile, nodding before he tried to push the coins back into the small coin-section of his wallet. “That would be great, thank you, Isak.”  
His face seemed to light up as he heard him use his name. “I’m here for four more hours today”, he then said and quickly added, almost as if he didn’t want it to come off wrong: “In case you want to pick it up later.”  
“Yeah, I’ll just withdraw some money and then come back.”  
“Great.”  
“Great.”  
  
There was a pause, the two boys just looking at each other and if it weren’t for the bell above the door to ring, the moment could have felt like a small eternity caught in only a few seconds.  
“So… I’ll better go”, Even eventually started after clearing his throat, pointing towards the door where a man in his fifties had just entered.  
Isak again licked his lips.  
“I’ll see you then.”

He returned not even ten minutes later, the notes safely stored in his wallet, and when he entered Even managed to find Isak within seconds, the boy busy stocking up Greeting cards.  
Even though he felt his heartbeat quicken he walked over to him, burying his hands inside his pockets.  
“Hei”, he greeted and Isak looked up from his work, the smile spreading on his thin lips, the corners of his mouth twisting upwards.  
“That was quick.”  
Evens mouth was faster than his mind and the words felt far too smooth for his actual nervous self: “Well, I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”  
Isak rolled his eyes in response, but the small smirk never left his lips.  
“Do you want to pay, then?” he demanded a few seconds later and Even looked around the store, shaking his head. “I was actually… looking for another book”, he said (and he desperately tried to come up with some title or some author or… really just anything).  
“Okay. Which one?” Isak asked, of course he did. It was expected, but still Even blinked at him as if he couldn’t have seen it coming.  
“Uh.. I’m not sure yet.” It was quite a weak response, but what else was he to say? He hadn’t read in ages, even though he had loved it as a kid.  
  
Back then, he had spent nights reading and reading and reading, especially after this one Christmas, experiencing all those different adventures in all those different worlds with all those different characters he came to call his friends in order to escape reality for just a little while. He had cried when the stories were over, when the last page had been read, simply because he had hated the feeling of letting go of something so important and so dear to him so suddenly. So when one book was finished, he started reading the next one in order push away the thought of being left alone by universe over universe that had given him an opportunity to hide away from the world.  
He couldn’t pinpoint the moment when it had changed. When he had stopped reading so much. When hundreds of pages became only a few and then none at all.

It was Isak’s voice that made his thoughts stop from spiralling: “Is it a present?”  
“Yeah. A present”, he agreed, mostly because he couldn’t come up with another good reason.

Isak nodded his head slightly, putting some Christmas cards back into the carton. His grandfather had used to write Christmas cards.

“Is that person interested in film-making as well?”  
“No, that’s just me. I need the book for uni. At the beginning of the next semester I have to write a film analysis on _Amélie_ and one part of the paper has to focus on camera angles, so I thought it would be useful.”  
“Amélie?”, Isak asked, sounding almost confused as he cocked his head just slightly.  
“The French movie? Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain?”  
He shook his head: “Sorry, I don’ think I’ve seen that one.”  
In faux shock Even placed a hand on his chest before he broke out into a smile: “You should. It’s good. I promise.”  
“Maye I should”, Isak agreed and then started walking, Even following him immediately. “I guess I’m just more of the science guy, instead of the movie-type.”  
“Science? What kind?”, Even asked, stopping in front of a shelf when Isak did.  
“Every kind, basically. Chemistry, physics. But especially biology”, he explained, before pulling out a book. “These are our classics. In case your friend likes those.”  
Even took a closer look of the cover, where a small girl in a blue dress looked up at him, a white bow in her hair. Next to her, a rabbit was sitting and holding a clock in its paw. “Alice in Wonderland. Haven’t seen that one in a while.” He turned it around and read over the blurb, even though he knew the story be heart.  
And then, without having meant to think of it, there was an idea forming in his head.  
“I think that person does actually like sciences better, too”, Even said and when Isak raised his eyebrows while looking at him he shrugged. “She’s studying medicine at the moment”, he continued and felt a bit bad for using Sana for an excuse, but the thought, the idea was already there.  
“Really? Me too. What’s her name?”, Isak asked.

And shit, he didn’t see that coming.  
“Oh. Uh. You study medicine? That’s chill. ”  
“That’s chill”, Isak echoed with a smile as Even put _Alice in Wonderland_ back into the shelf.  
“And her name is Sana”, he then added. Because even though it was an excuse he wasn’t going to lie. Also Sana’s birthday was on the 24 th, so it fit the bill.

Isak stopped walking, turning towards Even, looking surprised: “Wait, you know Sana? She’s in most of my courses. We also went to Nissen together.”

Even didn’t see that coming either.

“What? Seriously? You know her? She is the sister of one of my best friends. Elias? Do you know him?”, Even asked, the disbelief clearly on his face, but also a smile.  
Isak laughed out loud, shaking his head. “You are on of Elias friends? What the fuck. Okay, I think I definitely know how to help you now.”  
“You do?”, Even grinned slightly, enjoying the way Isak smiled so brightly, the way he seemed so happy and so determined.  
“Yeah. I showed her a book I want to buy next semester, it’s a classic, really and she seemed interested in it as well. You could get her that. Charles Darwin’s _On the Origin of Species_. Wait. Let me show it to you.”

Isak led him to the science section, only taking a few seconds to find the book in question. He held it differently than he had held the cards, more preciously, more carefully. “It is fascinating how he came up with all of it. To understand his lines of thought. I mean, Charles Darwin is the father of the theory of evolution, he created its foundations and to be able to catch a glimpse of what biology was like back then… What kind of instruments and methods one used. It’s amazing, really. The entire historical background. It’s one of the most important works in biology.”

Even blinked at him, smiling without actually noticing it and eventually he nodded. “That sounds perfect for her. I’ll get it next time, though. I don’t think I have enough money with me right now.”  
“Yeah sure. No problem”, Isak responded immediately, mirroring Evens smile, before he slowly scratched his head. “Sorry for… uh nerding around. I just...”  
“No. Don’t. Don’t apologize for something you love. I get it. I talk about films way too much, too.”  
“Like Amélie?”, Isak asked and Even laughed.

It was Christmas time and Even laughed like he really meant it.  
“Like Amélie”, he agreed.

He bought the book on camera angles and o the 22nd of December Even came back with a note he had written and re-written and re-re-written hundreds of times – or at least it felt like it.  
He had been sitting at his desk in the middle of the night, trying to find the right words to name the right feelings and failing every time. But the idea had already been there for too many hours to let go of it.  
So he tried and tried and tried.

_Dear Isak_  
“I like to look for things no one else catches” – Amélie  
Like the way you animatedly gesture with your hands when you talk about On the Origins of Species _. Even though I don’t understand much when it comes to biology I love the way you speak so passionately. I could listen to you for hours._  
_Tell me more after watching Amélie together? It’s a good film, I promise._  
_You will like it. I feel like I know you will._  
_Then I can ramble about cinematography and we can both nerd around together._  
_Merry Christmas, Isak._  
_Love, Even._  
_+47 XXX XXX XXX XX_

It didn’t take him long to find the book again. And when he did, he carefully placed the note inside of it, carrying it to the counter (and also a second version he wanted to give to Sana, because even though she wasn’t aware of it, she was an important part in all of this).  
  
“Could you wrap this one as a present, please? And.. uh.. maybe give it to Isak on his last day of work before the holidays?”  
Mimmi looked at him as she pushed her glasses higher up on her nose, the smile on her lips again so gentle and so kind and she nodded eventually, before she carefully cut off a piece of wrapping paper.  
“Of course, dear. I’m sure he’ll be very happy when he gets to know where it comes from. ”  
“I hope so.”

When Even was twenty years old he received a text message on Christmas Eve and Christmas? It didn’t feel so dull anymore.  
  
_Dear Even_  
This is Isak. Thank you for your present. I wonder who recommended it to you.  
I found your message just now and watching the movie sounds perfect _. Are you free on the 26 th at 8? We might have some biscuits _with _cardamom left._    
_Merry Christmas, Even._  
_Love, Isak._


End file.
